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personnel, the 49ers rarely chose orsigned Pac-12 players. When Har-baugh was the head coach, the 49ersdrafted 40 players and three were from

the Pac-12 and none werefrom Stanford.

This year, with formerOregon coach Chip Kelly inthe building, the 49ers tookone of his former playerswith the first pick, defensiveend DeForest Buckner. The49ers then traded into thebottom of the first round toget guard Joshua Garnett, aStanford man.

The rest of the nine play-ers selected were from non-Pac-12schools, but the majority of the team’srookie free agents came from the Pac-12. Of the 11 rookie free agents signed,seven were Pac-12 players — WRDevan Cajuste (Stanford), WR BryceTreggs (Cal), OL Alex Balducci (Ore-gon), DE Demetrius Cherry (ArizonaState), DE Jason Fanaika (Utah), and SJered Bell (Colorado). That’s a remark-ably high number and might reflect theinfluence of Kelly over the draftprocess.

High character was also reflected inthis draft, which is another Kelly char-acteristic. In fact, his insistence on jet-tisoning players that didn’t buy into hisphilosophy got him in trouble inPhiladelphia.

Most of the players drafted this yearwere team leaders, team captains, orhad overcome family struggles withgrace and purpose. Of the 11 playersselected, two would be considered lowon the character scale, fourth-roundcornerback Rashard Robinson andsixth-round running back Kelvin Tay-lor. The rest appear to be exemplarycitizens.

This might indicate a greater influ-ence from the head coach than wehave seen in the most recent past, andthat is not surprising. Baalke’s draftsand the team’s reluctance to re-sign itsown players and free agents led to adearth of talent.

Could this draft be an indication ofa shifting power structure within the49ers’ organization? Maybe. Power al-ways seems to change when a newcoaching staff takes over.

In the two Mike eras(Nolan and Singletary), thehead coaches were possiblythe most powerful in theNFL. They had final say inplayer acquisition, the ros-ter, and their coachingstaffs. However, when Sin-gletary proved to be a poorplayer evaluator and whenhe cratered, Trent Baalketook over and shifted thefootball side into a scout-driven oper-ation.

Baalke and the scouting departmentnow had say over the roster, the draft,free agency, and all aspects of playerprocurement. It was a marked depar-ture from the traditional 49ers struc-ture under Bill Walsh, George Seifertand Steve Mariucci. Back then coachesmade decisions on players and thescouting department was only there toprovide information and maybe anopinion.

But when the shift was made afterSingletary, Baalke hired his ownscouts, brought in his own system andbecame one of the most powerful gen-eral managers in the NFL.

And as we all know, he clashedoften with Jim Harbaugh, who viewspower struggles like a Game ofThrones. Baalke, who had learned toassert his authority after the Singletaryexperience, made sure he kept theupper hand.

Certainly, Harbaugh had his say,particularly with quarterbacks. Thechoice to move up in the second roundto take Colin Kaepernick was drivenby Harbaugh, and he is the one whopushed for Blaine Gabbert. Retiredlinebacker Chris Borland said he was aHarbaugh pick.

However, Baalke remained in con-trol and while he listened to Har-baugh’s knowledge of Pac-12

JUNE/JULY 2016 The Niner Report 3

PAC-ATTACKThe 49ers’ top two picks came from Chip Kelly’s formercollege conference, the PAC-12.

Kelly’s influenceevident in draft

Understandably, Baalke’s authoritymight have eroded.

Now some may ask, what does thismatter? Getting the best players on thefield and in the best positions to win isthe ultimate goal.

Unfortunately, office power strug-gles led to the team’s collapse over thepast two seasons. When the team waswinning during the Harbaugh years,Harbaugh, Baalke and York all wantedto take credit.

However, when they narrowlymissed winning the Super Bowl, many,particularly Harbaugh, started to turnon each other. The situation eventuallybecame untenable and it led to Har-baugh’s departure.

In the end, the 49ers could not han-dle winning.

The upshot is personalities matterand how they negotiate the levers ofpower without bruising egos is whatmakes winning organizations.

Kelly, Baalke and York have allmade their share of good and bad de-cisions. Now, how they get along andhow they steer the organization couldbe the biggest factor in the team’s ulti-mate success.

KEVIN LYNCH

LINEUP

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3.............First Down

4 ............Class of 2016 Review

14 ...........Undrafted Free Agents

16 ...........49ers Draft A to Z

20..........49ers Roster

21 ...........49ers Depth Chart

22 ..........49ers 2016 Schedule

23..........The Final Word

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FIRST DOWN

The more you research 49ers first-round pick De-Forest Buckner, the more you think the defensive endcan’t miss as an NFL prospect.

High character: check.Good family: check.Revered teammate: check.Highly productive: check.Taken with the seventh overall selection, Buckner

knew exactly who was calling when the 49ers’ choicecame up. The phone rang inBuckner’s native Hawaii andBuckner heard his old collegecoach on the other line.

“We are re-united,” 49erscoach Chip Kelly said. “It’sgoing to be fun.”

The 49ers hope Bucknerand his former Oregon team-mate, Arik Armstead, can bethe foundation for a defensiverevival. The once proud de-fensive line featuring Ray Mc-Donald and Justin Smithformed a nearly impenetrablewall in the run game and pro-vided a steady pass rush. WithMcDonald and Smith occupy-ing blockers, linebackersPatrick Willis and NaVorroBowman blossomed into All-Pros. The team’s vauntedfront seven served as thebackbone for an organizationthat went to three consecutiveNFC Championship Games under Jim Harbaugh.

Even though the 49ers are on their second coach-ing staff following Harbaugh’s departure, they’ve re-tained a similar defensive system built around a stalwartD-line that requires, long, active and dominant defen-sive ends. The 49ers invested in first-round picks thelast two years in the hopes of capturing the kind of play-ers who can re-animate their once stout defense.

Armstead and Buckner are both taller than 6-7,weigh 300 pounds and have outstanding athleticism.Armstead left Oregon as a junior and was drafted by the49ers with the 17th overall pick. As a rookie, he was attimes brilliant, and at times lost during 2015.

Buckner, and here’s where the character comes in,chose to eschew the draft after his junior season, eventhough he had a better year than Armstead.

“Deep down I wanted to leave, but at the same timeI looked at the bigger picture and I’m almost done withschool,” Buckner told a Hawaii television station. “I justwanted to finish out with school getting my degree be-cause I know it’ll come in handy post-NFL.”

By staying, Buckner recovered from an minor off-season knee surgery and blossomed into the Pac-12 De-fensive Player of the Year, and a sure-fire first-rounder.Buckner will also earn a degree in criminal justice.

Buckner admitted he wasn’t always so forwardthinking. He had a little knucklehead in him as a youthuntil the day his father, George, slipped off a motorcy-cle and fell into a six-month coma. After awakening,George summoned DeForest to his bedside and the two

had a heart-to-heart talk.From that moment, Bucknertook his studies and athleticsseriously.

It worked out for him, par-ticularly during his last year atOregon, when he led the con-ference in sacks with 10.5.Buckner played his best game,oddly enough, against the49ers’ second first-round pickthis year, Joshua Garnett.Against one of the best guardsin the country, Bucknernotched a half-sack and 10tackles in a thrilling Oregonwin. The Ducks survived 38-36, after a 2-point conversiontry by the Cardinal on thegame’s last play failed.

The game encapsulatedBuckner’s entire season, whichwas successful from start tofinish. Now, Buckner gets thebenefit of not only re-uniting

with Kelly, but also his college defensive line coachJerry Azzinaro. However, Buckner, on the day he wasdrafted, seemed most thrilled to be back with Arm-stead.

“Man, I’m the happiest man in the draft right nowbeing reunited with Arik,” Buckner admitted. “Havingthat history with him back in Oregon, so we’re goodfriends. We’ve been talking about it a little bit through-out the draft process. So, I’m excited.”

At the start of the draft, Buckner knew what hewanted, and that was to be a 49er. He knew the teamwas interested, even though he wasn’t summoned bythe team for an official visit. The one hurdle was theChargers, who owned the third overall pick and neededa defensive lineman.

“Everybody was talking about San Diego,” Bucknersaid. “But I was praying to be reunited with Arik, CoachKelly and Coach Azzinaro.”

Buckner’s prayers were answered. Now the 49ersand Buckner will see if their dreams of a defensive re-vival can be realized.

Quotable: “I mean, what’s there not to like?An awfully good football player, excellent fit,high-character guy. Great working knowledgeof him, simply our current coaches recruitedhim, know him well and know his family well. Aguy that plays a high percentage of downs atthe collegiate level. You look at most of theseguys coming out, D-linemen, they play 50-60percent of the snaps. DeForest the last twoyears has played 80-plus. And production, alot of production, 81 tackles, 36 unassisted,nine sacks. There’s a lot to like.”

— 49ers general manager Trent Baalke

Where he fits in: Buckner could follow asimilar playing time trajectory as Arik Arm-stead. In 2015, the rookie Armstead was a ro-tational player to start the season, but after thebye week in mid-November his production sky-rocketed, including a game-high six tacklesagainst Seattle. Buckner could even win astarting job and get an abundance of snapswith his ability to stop the run and rush thepasser. Buckner played the second mostsnaps of any player in college football lastyear, and it didn’t seem to bother him. Playerswith stamina are always required in ChipKelly’s defense.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND ONE Selected: 7th Height: 6-7Weight: 300Year: SeniorAge: 22From: Waianae, HawaiiDeForest Buckner • DE • Oregon

LAST FIVE FIRST-ROUND PICKS2015 — Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon (17th)2014 — Jimmie Ward, SS, Northern Illinois (30th)2013 — Eric Reid, FS, LSU (18th)2012 — A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois (30th)2011 — Aldon Smith, LB, Missouri (7th)

LAST FIVE DEs DRAFTED2015 — Arik Armstead, Oregon (17th)2014 — Aaron Lynch, South Florida (150th)2013 — Tank Carradine, Florida State (40th)2013 — Quinton Dial, Alabama (157th)2008 — Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina (29th)

LAST FIVE DUCKS DRAFTED2015 — Arik Armstead, DE (17th)2012 — LaMichael James, RB (61st)2005 — Adam Snyder, OT (94th)2005 — Marcus Maxwell, WR (223rd)2004 — Keith Lewis, DB (198th)

THE HISTORY…

By Kevin Lynch

4 The Niner Report JUNE/JULY 2016

The 49ers knew what they were getting with JoshuaGarnett. And Garnett certainly knew what he was get-ting with the 49ers.

When San Francisco traded up in the first round tomake Garnett the 28th overall pick in the 2016 draft,there was no need for introductions. And by that time,the Stanford All-American was feeling right at home.

Since he played in college just 20 minutes downHighway 101 from the team’s Santa Clara facility, the49ers had been following Gar-nett’s progress since 2012,when he became the first truefreshman offensive lineman tostart for the Cardinal in adozen years.

And Garnett had been fol-lowing the 49ers’ progress …well … since he was a kid. Hisfather, Scott Garnett, playeddefensive tackle for San Fran-cisco in 1985.

“I’ve always wanted to be a49er,” Garnett said.

But the interest of bothparties in each other intensi-fied as Garnett went on to be-come one of the nation’s toplinemen and began preparingthis spring for a draft in whichhe was universally consideredone of the top guard prospectsavailable.

The courtship and connec-tion between player and teamincreased when the 49ers at-tended Stanford’s Pro Day inMarch and then, two weeks before the draft, Garnett ap-peared at the 49ers facility for the Pro Day the team wasconducting for college prospects with ties to the SanFrancisco Bay Area.

“We worked hard on him,” 49ers general managerTrent Baalke said. “One thing that really impressed usabout him is coming to the Pro Day. He’d already donehis (Stanford) Pro Day. He’d already done his work atthe (NFL) Combine and he comes here on a local ProDay and does it again. That just told us a little bit moreabout the young man.”

The 49ers already knew a lot. So did everybody else.Garnett was one of most decorated players of the

2015 college season, becoming the first Stanford playerto win the Outland Trophy, given annually to the nation’smost outstanding lineman. He also won the Morris Tro-phy given to the Pac-12 Lineman of the Year while be-coming the ninth unanimous first-team All-American inStanford history.

Garnett already was expected to be one of the firstoffensive guards selected. He had nothing to prove andcertainly nothing to gain at another Pro Day two weeksbefore the draft. It was considered unusual — perhapseven risky or foolish — for an elite prospect of Garnett’sstature to attend such an event so close to draft.

But Garnett just saw it as another opportunity toshow the 49ers and their new coaching staff, includingoffensive line coach Pat Flaherty, how well he could fit

in with their team and system.“I wanted to come here and

showcase my talents eventhough a lot of people didn’tthink that I needed to,” Gar-nett said. “I felt like going outthere being able to show coachwhat I can do, just show whatkind of player I am, kind ofmove around and really seethat trust as a guy that theywanted to get. I wanted to godown there and show him,‘Hey, I’m still working on thekind of things you’ve been ask-ing me to work on.’ I wantedto let coach Flat really get hishands on me one more time,let coach Kelly see me onemore time.”

One more time really was-n’t necessary for either coach.Kelly also already had seenenough of Garnett, going backto the days when Kelly stillwas head coach at the Univer-sity of Oregon, and said his

“personal knowledge of just going against him,” con-vinced Kelly Garnett was a player the 49ers had to get.

So the 49ers traded three draft picks to the KansasCity Chiefs to move up to No. 28 overall. The cost toget Garnett wasn’t cheap — San Francisco surrenderedits second-round pick (No. 37 overall), a fourth-roundpick (No. 105) and a sixth-round selection (No. 178).

“We thought he was the best interior run blocker inthe draft,” Kelly said. “We’ve always run the footballsince I was in college or in the National Football League,and to add someone like Josh, we’re going to continue.”

Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, the first of SanFrancisco’s two first-round selections taken No. 7 over-all, is yet another 49er who already has a good idea whatthe team is getting with Garnett.

“He was the best guard in the country,” said Buck-ner, the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. “Andthat’s some competition to look forward to that’s going tomake us better.”

Quotable: “He’s a big, physical player that canbend really well for a big guy. The one thing that wasremarkable about him was when you look at someof those short-yardage, goal-line packages that(Stanford head coach David Shaw) runs there andyou look at Josh, who’s literally three inches off theground just driving guys out of there, it’s impressiveto see. And then you throw the intangibles in with akid that wants to go to med school, is a senior that’sgoing to graduate in June with a degree from Stan-ford. I think you kind of check all the boxes whenyou’re looking at Josh.”

— 49ers head coach Chip Kelly

Where he fits in: The 49ers didn’t spend threedraft picks on Joshua Garnett to have him come inand sit on the bench or be brought along slowly. Aweek after moving up in the draft to select Garnett,the team promptly released veteran lineman JordanDevey, who started nine games at right guard forSan Francisco last season. Garnett will move in asthe frontrunner to start at that position as a rookie.He has the skill and experience to start at eitherguard position, and could eventually find himselfstarting on the left side, though the 49ers broughtin veteran Zane Beadles as one of their top free-agent acquisitions during the offseason to play leftguard. The team likely will begin training camp withBeadles there and Garnett taking on all comers —and holdovers — on the right side.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND ONE Selected: 28th Height: 6-5Weight: 321Year: SeniorAge: 22From: Puyallup, Wash.Joshua Garnett • OG • Stanford

LAST FIVE FIRST-ROUND PICKS2015 — Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon (17th)2014 — Jimmie Ward, SS, Northern Illinois (30th)2013 — Eric Reid, FS, LSU (18th)2012 — A.J. Jenkins, WR, Illinois (30th)2011 — Aldon Smith, LB, Missouri (7th)

LAST FIVE OGs DRAFTED2014 — Brandon Thomas, Clemson (100th)2012 — Joe Looney, Wake Forest (117th)2011 — Daniel Kilgore, Appalachian State (163rd)2011 — Mike Person, Montana State (239th)2010 — Mike Iupati, Idaho (17th)

LAST FIVE CARDINAL DRAFTED2003 — Kwame Harris, OT (26th)2002 — Eric Heitmann, OG (239th)1997 — Greg Clark, TE (77th)1993 — Chris Dalman, OG (166th)1989 — Andy Sinclair, C (279th)

THE HISTORY…

By Craig Massei


San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalkehas a little Al Davis in him. Evidence? The selecting ofMississippi State cornerback Will Redmond in thethird round of the 2016 draft.

Davis, the maverick owner of the Raiders, alwaysdrafted for the home run, no matter what the round.He wanted the high-risk, high-reward player everytime. Baalke has the same impulse and Redmond isnothing if not high-risk, high-reward.

From the pessimist’s pointof view, this pick has the ear-markings of Baalke’s failedchoices. Baalke apparentlyfrustrated former coach JimHarbaugh because he choseinjured players who couldnot help right away, and tookplayers at impacted positionswhile other team needs wentunaddressed.

Baalke said Redmond wasbest suited to play nickelback, but the 49ers alreadyhave a developing player atthe position in former first-round choice Jimmie Ward.

Baalke often gets enam-ored with a prospect’s phys-ical attributes or make-upover his on-field production.

For example, Redmondonly started seven games incollege. His senior seasonwas cut short after he tore hisACL in practice last October.When Redmond did play, heflashed talent, but also a reckless style of play thatoften had him losing containment and bolting after theball carrier. And at 5-11, 182 pounds, Redmond is notthe long, big cornerback teams now crave.

Nevertheless, Redmond is absolutely fearless, andif his talent can be honed, Pro Bowls await. Most often,Redmond looks like the fastest player on the field. Hisknee injury prevented him from running the 40-yarddash at the college scouting combine, but if he had,most expected he would run in the sub 4.4’s.

Redmond is also versatile, showing a propensity toplay everything imaginable as a cornerback. He brokeinto the Bulldogs lineup as a nickel back before earn-ing a starting job as a senior. With the multiple Mis-sissippi State defenses, Redmond lined up inside,outside and even as a linebacker.

He played zone, man, press and off coverage. Andin all situations he showed a feel for what he wasdoing. He was also vocal and passionate, and seems to

be the kind of player who relishes what he’s doing onthe field.

ESPN’s Todd McShay compared him to formerRams and Titans Pro Bowl player Cortland Finnegan,who played cornerback like a linebacker. NFL Net-work’s Daniel Jeremiah compared him to Giants cor-ner Janoris Jenkins. Both Finnegan and Jenkins arehigh-effort players similarly sized to Redmond.

Redmond did seem to improve through his Bull-dogs career. According to SBNation, Redmond allowedone touchdown pass and apasser rating of 41 when tar-geted by opposing quarter-backs before getting injuredhis senior year. In a fewgames, Redmond didn’t allowany receptions, in others, hepermitted just one.

Redmond certainly bene-fitted from an effective passrush, nevertheless, the statis-tics are impressive.

He plays with an urgency,but also a calm that helps himbe patient with receivers.During his senior year, he wasoften stationed as the bound-ary corner, which matcheshim against the receiver onthe short side of the field.Typically a team’s best playeris on the short side, becausethe other side (field corner)requires help from a safety orlinebacker to cover the added

space.Baalke tried to alleviate concerns about Redmond’s

ACL when he met with the media after making thepick.

“The injury, it was a very standard procedure. He’son schedule to slightly ahead of schedule,” Baalkesaid. “We’ve got a lot of contact with this young man.We know who did the surgery. We also know wherehe’s rehabbing and who’s rehabbing him. We broughthim in for one of the 30 visits. We were just back in In-dianapolis before the draft for the re-check.”

The renowned Alabama surgeon James Andrewsperformed the surgery and Redmond said he was look-ing forward to his rehabilitation with 49ers’ trainers.ACL tears typically require a year of rehabilitation,which would make Redmond presumably availablearound October.

Then we will see if Redmond is more reward thanrisk.

Quotable: “Quickness. He’s a quick-twitch athlete. He can stick his foot in theground. He transitions very well and he’sfearless. He’s 5-10, he’s 190 pounds, some-where in that neighborhood and he’s notafraid to stick his head in there. And whenyou go inside in the National Football Leagueand you play the nickel position, that’s atough position to play because you’ve got tocover and hold up in the run game stuff. So,he’s a young man that’s proven he can dothat, willing to do it and (I’m) really high onthe ceiling that he has.”


Where he fits in: At first, Redmond willconcentrate on getting healthy. The 49erstend to be conservative with rookies whohave injuries, and often they sit the entireyear, as wide receiver DeAndre Smelter didlast year. However, pressure could mount onthe team to play Redmond, particularly if the49ers struggle defensively. Also, becauseRedmond played man, zone, press and offcoverage in college, he might be ready toplay during the season.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND THREE Selected: 68th Height: 6-0Weight: 186Year: SeniorAge: 22From: Memphis, Tenn.Will Redmond • CB • Mississippi State

LAST FIVE THIRD-ROUND PICKS2015 — Eli Harold, LB, Virginia (79th)2014 — Marcus Martin, C, USC (70th)2014 — Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin (77th)2014 — Brandon Thomas, OG, Clemson (100th)2013 — Corey Lemonier, LB, Auburn (88th)

LAST FIVE CBs DRAFTED2014 — Dontae Johnson, North Carolina St. (129th)2014 — Keith Reaser, Florida Atlantic (170th)2014 — Kenneth Acker, Southern Methodist (180th)2013 — Marcus Cooper, Rutgers (252nd)2011 — Chris Culliver, South Carolina (80th)

LAST FIVE BULLDOGS DRAFTED2010 — Anthony Dixon, RB (173rd)2005 — Ronald Fields, DT (137th)1978 — Bruce Threadfill, DB (133rd)1977 — Stan Black, DB (100th)1975 — Jimmy Webb, DT (10th)

THE HISTORY…

By Kevin Lynch


With his checkered past, Rashard Robinsonknows his next move is to show the 49ers they did-n’t make a mistake by selecting the talented but trou-bled LSU product with their fourth-round pick in the2016 NFL draft — while also showing them he isbetter now for his mistakes.

“I had some things come up in the past,” Robin-son said. “But you know, I had to learn from my mis-takes in the past. Just learning from them and justtrying to progress and be-come better as a man and aperson as a whole, justbeing honest. Just manningup to whatever you did andjust being honest. Showingpeople you’re trying to moveforward from your past andnot trying to go back.”

The 49ers like the idea ofRobinson’s tall, wiry frameand outstanding speed man-ning up at cornerback withopposing receivers on theedge of a secondary lookingfor help.

So they took a chance hewill be able to move forwardfrom the problems he en-countered in college thatforced Robinson to sit outlast season and also misspart of his sophomore sea-son after being suspendedby LSU coach Les Miles.

“Why did we pick him?”49ers general manager TrentBaalke asked. “Heck of a talent. We had him ratedvery high, very high on our board as a talent. We dida lot of research, did our homework. We actuallyhave a strength coach on staff with us that’s fromLSU, that worked with him when he was youngerand knew him very well. Our coaches met with himat the Combine. So, we had a lot of interaction withhim. Felt very comfortable with him and have noproblem with his character whatsoever.”

Robinson’s character came into question severaltimes at LSU, where staying on the field becameproblematic from the start. He barely made the dead-line for eligibility before his freshman season anddidn’t join the team until being cleared by the NCAAafter LSU’s preseason camp.

But his talent shined from the beginning. In hisfirst career start as a true freshman, Robinson shutdown star Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans,who months later was selected in the first round by

Tampa Bay with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2014draft.

Robinson started six games as a sophomore thenext season before his career came to a screechinghalt when he was suspended indefinitely for violat-ing team rules.

Robinson’s problems continued when he was ar-rested last June and charged with unauthorized entryof his former teammate’s apartment. He never played

another down for the Tigersand, at age 20, is an earlyentry into the draft after justeight career starts.

“The (unauthorizedentry) case was thrown out,”Robinson said. “It was a bigmisunderstanding. Myrecord was expunged.”

But those issues off thefield likely were a factor inRobinson, considered a first-round talent by some, slip-ping all the way to the 133rdslot in the draft.

Because of his potentialas a long press corner with4.4 speed in the 40-yarddash, the 6-1, 177-poundRobinson is considered apossible draft steal becauseof what he could bring to theedge of a secondary thatcontributed significantly toSan Francisco ranking 27thin the NFL in pass defenselast season. The 49ers al-

lowed 4,375 yards through the air and got lacklusterresults from regular starting cornerbacks TramaineBrock and Kenneth Acker.

“Football is natural to me,” Robinson said. “I playboth sides of the ball. I’m an aggressive player andjust have the energy for it. I love to compete and Ijust want to dominate every time. I grew up lovingthis sport and I’m going to do anything to keep play-ing this sport, just trying to come in and make agreat impact and be a great competitor and a greatpro.”

The 49ers certainly are pleased they’re the teamgiving him that opportunity. Like Robinson, they’renot looking back.

“One reason guys slip is because of the decisionsthey make along the way,” Baalke said. “That doesn’tmean they can’t learn from those decisions and takeadvantage of the opportunity they’ve been given.And we fully expect him to do that.”

Quotable: “Anytime you take a leave of ab-sence, whether it’s due to injury or any otherreason, yeah, you get a little rusty. But he’s ayoung man with a lot of talent. He’s been train-ing hard, he’s in very good shape. His size andlength would lead you to believe that his bestposition is outside. He’s in the 180s (pounds)right now or right about there, and once hegets here and we get our hands on him, we’llknow a lot better. But we felt really good aboutthe way he was moving in his Pro Day and cer-tainly liked the talent on film.”


Where he fits in: In a young secondary stilllooking for answers at cornerback, RashardRobinson will be given every opportunity tocompete for playing time in a group that in-cludes holdover starters Tramaine Brock andKenneth Acker and holdover reserves DontaeJohnson, Keith Reaser and Marcus Cromartie,along with 2016 draft picks Will Redmond andPrince Charles Iworah. Robinson’s speed andlength on the edge could play to his favor inthe competition, giving him a chance to carveout a role in San Francisco’s secondary cov-erage packages as a rookie.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND FOUR Selected: 133rd Height: 6-1Weight: 177Year: SophomoreAge: 20From: Pompano Beach,

Fla.Rashard Robinson • CB • Louisiana State

LAST FIVE FOURTH-ROUND PICKS2015 — Blake Bell, TE, Oklahoma (117th)2015 — Mike Davis, RB, South Carolina (126th)2015 — DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech (132nd)2014 — Bruce Ellington, WR, South Carolina (106th)2014 — Dontae Johnson, CB, N.C. State (129th)

LAST FIVE CBs DRAFTED2014 — Dontae Johnson, N.C. State (129th)2014 — Keith Reaser, Florida Atlantic (170th)2014 — Kenneth Acker, Southern Methodist (180th)2013 — Marcus Cooper, Rutgers (252nd)2011 — Chris Culliver, South Carolina (80th)

LAST FIVE TIGERS DRAFTED2009 — Curtis Taylor, DB (219th)2009 — Ricky Jean Francois, DT (244th)2006 — Melvin Oliver, DE (197th)1989 — Rudy Harmon, LB (251st)1965 — Dave McCormick, OT (58th)

THE HISTORY…

By Craig Massei


If you watch clips of the 49ers’ fifth-round pickRonald Blair on the field you think, “football player.”Talk to him off the field and you think, “student.”That’s the reason the 49ers might have found asleeper in Blair, the often under-appreciated and un-dersized defensive end from Appalachian State.

Becoming a Mountaineer and residing in Boone,N.C., (named after native son Daniel Boone), wasbig city living for Blair.Boone is a town of morethan 17,000, nearly sixtimes the size of Blair’shometown of Greensboro,Ga.

Now Blair makes anotherhuge stride, going fromBoone and App State, to thebustling Silicon Valley andthe crowded Bay Area. How-ever, the humble Southernerseems undaunted by theprospect because he spendsnearly all his time doing thething he loves — playingfootball.

Blair also seems to meetthese challenges with thecomposed attitude of a softSouthern breeze and an in-fectious optimism. Blairlearned growing up in tinyGreensboro, where half theresidents under the age of18 subsist below the povertyline, that hard work was theonly way to survive. Hismother, Jenifer Goss, drivesa mail truck and works in a fast food restaurant. Hisgrandparents on both sides of his family worked“hand to mouth” as Blair put it.

“My mom works her butt off,” Blair said. Andthat’s why Blair never left the classroom or the foot-ball field without a full effort. As a senior at AppState, he was named the 2015 Defensive StudentAthlete of the Year for the Sunbelt Conference. Onthe field, he was often dominant.

As a senior, he collected 19 tackles for a loss,which tied him for 12th nationally. Blair saved hisbest for big games. Against eventual GoDaddy.comBowl champion Georgia Southern, Blair notchedseven solo tackles including three tackles for a loss.The best game of his college career came against Na-tional Championship Game participant Clemson,where Blair made eight tackles and two sacks.

It makes you wonder why he lingered until the

fifth round. Playing small-school competition andbeing only 270 pounds are likely the major reasons.However, even though that appears light for NFL de-fensive linemen, Blair proved to be one of thestrongest players at the college scouting combine,hoisting 225 pounds on the bench press 32 times,which was second best among defensive linemenand fourth best overall.

And Blair seemed fullyready for another practiceshortly after finishing hisfirst with the veterans at arecent minicamp in SantaClara.

“It’s actually been prettysmooth. I thought there wasgoing to be a little morestrain with it,” Blair said.“But the coaches have donea real good job slowing itdown for the rookies, mak-ing sure we get things pieceby piece. Kinda clicking inthe vets today was a prettysmooth transition.”

Since pads are banned inOTA practices, defensivelinemen mainly work ontechnique and assignments.

“This (defense) you takeyour time and play with theoffensive lineman a littlebit,” Blair said. I like this de-fense.”

Blair said he mainly likesit because he gets to learnsomething new and gets to

expand his football knowledge. But what’s most impressive about Blair is his ap-

preciation for his school and his sport. While beingrecruited by Southern and South Alabama, Blair waswon over by App State after they showed him a filmon the history of the Mountaineer football program.

Blair said he got goose bumps watching futureNFL players Dexter Jackson and Brian Quick. Healso took note of 49ers starting center Daniel Kil-gore, another fifth-round pick.

Blair called Kilgore a “legend” in Boone.“There wasn’t many Daniel Kilgore posters at Ap-

palachian State, I promise you that,” Kilgore said to49ers.com. “To have somebody on your team thatwent to the pros, especially from a smaller school,it’s pretty special.”

The 49ers are hoping Blair can be special, but bythe looks of his journey, he already is.

Quotable: “I love this kid. I had a third-round grade on him. You want to talk aboutquick and powerful. I thought he was dominantagainst Clemson.”

— NFL network draft analyst Mike Mayock.

“He’s a guy that gives you some versatility.He’s a high producer at his level of play. Agreat young man, A-plus guy and A-plusworker. So, he’s got all the intangibles we werelooking for and the skillset to go with it.”


Where he fits in: It is all up to Blair andhow he acclimates to the much bigger andstronger players in the NFL. Blair realizes asan undersized player that his technique willneed to be nearly perfect to get playing time. Afilm-room grinder, Blair has an appreciation forthe X’s and O’s. And even at his size, he pos-sesses the ability to play both defensive endspots in the base defense and all four positionsin the nickel. Blair might be well-suited to playin a Chip Kelly fashioned defense in whichspeed and stamina are emphasized. However,he still has plenty of learning to do after play-ing a one-gap 3-4 defense as a Mountaineer.The 49ers are a two-gap 3-4 team, meaningdefensive linemen are responsible to clog thegaps on either side of them. One-gap schemesallow a lineman to get his gap quickly and getup the field.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND FIVE Selected: 142nd Height: 6-4Weight: 270Year: SeniorAge: 23From: Greensboro, Ga.Ronald Blair • DE • Appalachian State

LAST FIVE FIFTH-ROUND PICKS2015 — Bradley Pinion, P, Clemson (165th)2014 — Aaron Lynch, DE, South Florida (150th)2014 — Keith Reaser, CB, Florida Atlantic (170th)2013 — Quinton Dial, DE, Alabama (157th)2012 — Darius Fleming, LB, Notre Dame (165th)

LAST FIVE DEs DRAFTED2015 — Arik Armstead, Oregon (17th)2014 — Aaron Lynch, South Florida (150th)2013 — Tank Carradine, Florida State (40th)2013 — Quinton Dial, Alabama (157th)2008 — Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina (29th)

ONLY MOUNTAINEER DRAFTED2011 — Daniel Kilgore, OG (163rd)

THE HISTORY…

By Kevin Lynch


The 49ers had to like the very first name thatjumped out of John Theus’ mouth when, minutesafter being drafted by San Francisco, the Universityof Georgia standout was asked which NFL playershe models himself after.

“Joe Staley,” Theus replied.The prospect of Theus lining up next to left

tackle Staley somewhere along San Francisco’s of-fensive line this season already is looking better andbetter.

If Theus can even ap-proach being the kind ofplayer Staley has becomeduring his decade in SanFrancisco, the team will begetting tremendous returnfor the second of its threefifth-round selections in the2016 draft, 145th overall.

Staley, a first-round pickby the 49ers in 2007, has es-tablished himself as one ofthe NFL’s premier offensivelinemen while being se-lected to the Pro Bowl aftereach of the last five seasons.He was named second-teamAll-Pro three times duringthat span while becoming akey cog and team leaderduring San Francisco’s runto three consecutive NFCChampionship Games.

The other names Theusmentioned after Staley wereJoe Thomas of the Cleve-land Browns and Tyron Smith of the Dallas Cow-boys. Both offensive tackles were named to theAll-Pro team last season.

So, you see, Theus has some pretty high stan-dards.

“I try to watch the best,” Theus said. “There’s nodoubt in my mind that I played in the best confer-ence every year I was in college. I’ve played againstthe top competition and I’ve seen guys get pickedahead of me that I played and fared well against.Playing in the (Southeastern Conference) with thegreat talent and having the honor of being able toend All-SEC, I think it shows a lot about the way Ican play.”

Theus set a standard for excellence during his ca-reer at Georgia, where he was a four-year starter afterbeing named a Parade Magazine and USA Today first-team All-American as a senior in high school. Thehonors continued immediately as a true freshman at

Georgia, when Theus started all 14 games at righttackle and was named to several freshman All-Amer-ica teams.

Theus started again at right tackle as a sopho-more before moving to left tackle for his junior andsenior seasons, starting each of Georgia’s 13 gamesboth years. Yes, you can call him versatile, and thatshould help Theus on a rebuilding San Francisco of-fensive line that could have several starting jobs up

for grabs this season.“I’m extremely comfort-

able with both spots,” Theussaid. “I played equally onboth sides at Georgia, andthat’s one of the things that Ithink makes me more valu-able than some other guys. Ican play both sides very effi-ciently. With how big I am,I’m a good athlete. I can getin open space and I can run.I think I fit in well with thesystem.”

With Staley still in hisprime and anchored on theleft side, Theus could findhimself fitting into the com-petition for the starting jobat right tackle as a rookie asthe team looks to upgradethat position.

“That right tackle posi-tion, I know there’s a guythere, but I know I can gothere and compete, which isgoing to make both of us

better,” Theus said. “The best man will win andwhatever happens, happens. My goal for the seasonis definitely to contribute to the team and help asmuch as I can, in whatever role that may be. Per-sonally, I’m going to go there and give it my all, andobviously the goal for me personally is to earn astarting spot.”

After placing those high expectations on himself,it was only natural that Theus was asked what kindof NFL career he envisions himself having now thathe’s a 49er.

His reply once again alluded to Staley, who willbegin his 10th season with the Niners this year asSan Francisco’s longest-tenured player.

“A very long one,” Theus said. “I’m the type ofguy that can get in and bust my butt and work andplay for a very long time. It’s what I’ve done mywhole life and I want to be the best I can be. I knowthat this coaching staff will help me get there.”

Quotable: “He has size, versatility, intelli-gence. The fact that you can line up and play48 games in the SEC as a starter (says a lot).The foot quickness, that’s debatable. We feelhis feet are plenty quick to play the position.He survived in the SEC at left tackle. Heplayed right tackle. He’s played guard. If youcan survive in the SEC playing left tackle, yourfeet are good enough.”


Where he fits in: John Theus will bethrown into the mix for the starting job at righttackle as a rookie and be given an opportunityto compete with holdover veterans Erik Pears(14 starts in 2015) and Trent Brown (two startsin 2015) at the position, along with 2016 fifth-round pick Fahn Cooper, who also playedtackle in college. Theus could also be a candi-date to play inside at guard if his skills translateto that position at the NFL level. A technicallysound, mobile lineman with good athleticism,Theus will have an opportunity to fit at practi-cally any position down the line in new coachChip Kelly’s offensive system.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND FIVE Selected: 145th Height: 6-6Weight: 303Year: SeniorAge: 22From: Jacksonville, Fla.John Theus • OT • Georgia


LAST FIVE OTs DRAFTED2015 — Ian Silberman, Boston College (190th)2015 — Trent Brown, Florida (244th)2013 — Carter Bykowski, Iowa State (246th)2012 — Jason Slowey, Western Oregon (199th)2010 — Anthony Davis, Rutgers (11th)

LAST FIVE BULLDOGS DRAFTED1989 — Keith Henderson, RB (84th)1985 — Donald Chumley, DT (336th)1984 — Guy McIntyre, OG (73rd)1972 — Mike Greene, LB (123rd)1966 — Preston Ridlehuber, RB (166th)

THE HISTORY…

By Craig Massei


In compiling a 10-3 record last year, the Ole Missfootball program was led by the talented and the trou-bled. Eventual first-round picks Laremy Tunsil andRobert Nkemdiche either had scraps with the law orwere suspended by the NCAA.

However, the program also benefitted from thesteady presence of a humble player from Ohio, offen-sive lineman Fahn Cooper. While Tunsil andNkdemdiche were trying to throw away their footballcareers, Cooper went to ex-traordinary lengths to get tothe NFL.

The 49ers made that a re-ality by taking Cooper in thefifth round, with the 174thoverall selection.

Not nearly the athletictalent of Tunsil, who wentNo. 13 overall to Miami,Cooper nevertheless, wonthe Kent Hull award lastyear, which is given to Mis-sissippi’s best offensive line-man.

In fact, it was Cooperwho filled in admirably atthe crucial left tackle posi-tion for seven games whileTunsil served a suspensionmeted out by the NCAA forrecruiting violations.

The charges partially re-sulted from testimonybrought by Tunsil’s stepdad,Lindsey Miller, two weeksafter Tunsil and Miller werearrested for assaulting each other. Then in a three-hour interview, Miller told the NCAA about impropergifts of money, clothes, airline tickets and car rentalsmade to his stepson by Ole Miss.

Tunsil himself, told the media on draft night thatOle Miss gave him improper gifts, which has in-creased scrutiny on a program already under investi-gation.

Contrast that with Cooper, who was playingLEGOs with his little cousin when 49ers head coachChip Kelly called to inform him he had been drafted.After the call, both his parents cried.

His folks went through a lot during Cooper’s questfor the league, his father, an engineer, has endured 11surgeries to correct an eye condition with the last op-eration coming 10 days before the draft. His mother,a teacher, spent a year off work because of healthproblems.

During this time, Cooper struggled at Bowling

Green with academics and with the coaches. He toldhis folks he wanted to take a step back, attend a com-munity college and try to get to a bigger football pro-gram. He chose the College of Dupage in Illinois.

His mother was upset he was downgrading andshe cursed at him during the drive to Glen Ellyn, Ill.Nevertheless, Cooper found himself there, playingterrific football, and leading the study hall for histeammates. He also washed his own uniform and he

and four teammates used thetrunk of his 1994 ChevyBerreta to stow their footballgear.

The experience paved theway for his successful careerat Ole Miss and his eventualselection by the 49ers.

However, during his timeat Bowling Green and whileat Dupage, he knew he wasan NFL long shot. That’swhen he decided to grow abeard and let his hair growout. Now, he’s not cutting ei-ther one and he says his hairrepresents his journey to theNFL.

“It’s wild and unpre-dictable,” Cooper said.

The work and hardshippaid off. Cooper caught theattention of Ole Miss headcoach Hugh Freeze. Once hestepped on campus, Cooperbecame a quiet leader. Hestarted all his 26 games, and

may have done his best work as a replacement forTunsil at left tackle. Once Tunsil returned, Cooperflopped to right tackle.

“I don’t know if he can be a tackle or a guard, butas a pass protector I don’t know if he has enough toget it done as a starting tackle,” NFL media analystLance Zierlein said. “He can be a little stiff and havea few issues with change of direction.”

On film, Cooper plays the game with a despera-tion befitting of his football station. He’s a brawler andscrapper and does show some quickness and somenastiness in the run game. As Zierlein mentions, hischallenge will be in pass protection against lighter,quicker pass rushers.

“My first goal is to get on the field,” Cooper said.“I’m going to work my butt off to do whatever I haveto do to get on the field. If that’s guard or tackle orwherever they need me, I’ll do whatever I can to geton the field and, hopefully, help the 49ers win.”

Quotable: “The unique thing about Fahn isjust how unselfish he (is). We moved him overto left tackle when we were without Laremy(Tunsil) and he didn’t miss a beat. Laremycomes back and Fahn moves back over to theright tackle and doesn’t complain. He just goesout and makes us better. He has really be-come a leader this season and has gradedwell consistently.”

— Ole Miss offensive line coach Matt Luke

Where he fits in: General manager TrentBaalke usually favors big athletic players, butCooper is the opposite. He didn’t test well atthe combine and he’s only 306 pounds. But the49ers hope his heart takes him a long way.He’s also the bruising type of player Baalkelikes on the offensive line. Cooper opened hisdebut at right guard, on the third team whenthe 49ers opened their first OTA practice to themedia. Guard is likely where he is best suited.His experience at right and left tackle couldalso benefit him. No matter what happens withhim, Cooper is an undeniable success to evenget drafted by an NFL team.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND FIVE Selected: 174th Height: 6-5Weight: 306Year: SeniorAge: 23From: Crystal Lake, Ill.Fahn Cooper • OT • Mississippi


LAST FIVE OTs DRAFTED2015 — Ian Silberman, Boston College (190th)2015 — Trent Brown, Florida (244th)2013 — Carter Bykowski, Iowa State (246th)2012 — Jason Slowey, Western Oregon (199th)2010 — Anthony Davis, Rutgers (11th)

LAST FIVE REBELS DRAFTED2007 — Patrick Willis, LB (11th)1989 — Wesley Walls, TE (56th)1987 — Jonathan Shelley, DB (245th)1980 — Jim Miller, P (65th)1976 — Paul Hofer, RB (305th)

THE HISTORY…

By Kevin Lynch


As quarterback stories go, Jeff Driskel has beenaround. The son of military parents, Driskel and his fam-ily lived abroad during his youth and made several stopsbefore settling in Florida, where Driskel grew to be 6-4before getting his driver’s license while developing a rep-utation for athletic prowess.

He was named Maxwell Football Club National HighSchool Player of the Year as a senior, when two nationalrating services ranked Driskel as the No. 1 prep quar-terback prospect in the nation. That earned him a ticketto the University of Florida, where Driskel was heraldedas the next Tim Tebow and settled in as the Gators’starter as a sophomore — when he won 11 games whiledisplaying his dual-threat capabilities.

But as a red-shirt junior during his fourth year atFlorida, after breaking his leg early the season before,Driskel’s once-promising college career took a decideddownward turn. In his third year as a starter, in a seasonthat began with big hopes for both Driskel and theGators, the Florida offense floundered instead and

Driskel lost his starting job to a freshman.Finding himself at a crossroads, Driskel decided he

needed a change. A big change.“Sometimes, that’s the best thing in life,” he said.

“You move on and get into a different place, and it’s justa great situation. I just felt like I needed to move for-ward, rather than staying where I was. I loved the Uni-versity of Florida, but I thought for my future what wasbest was to move forward and that’s what I did.”

Did he ever. Instead of remaining at Florida for a fifthseason, Driskel moved on as a graduate transfer toLouisiana Tech, where he not only resurrected his ca-reer, but also his standing as a legitimate NFL prospect.

Driskel settled quickly into a new offense and thrivedin new surroundings, throwing for 4,033 yards and 27touchdowns at Tech last season, when he was namedConference USA Newcomer of the Year.

“Heck of an athlete,” 49ers general manager TrentBaalke said. “(He’s) played for two high-caliber pro-grams. There’s a lot to work with there.”

Quotable: “We love his athletic ability. He’s gota unique package that you can kind of work with.That’s an exciting thing. I got a chance to talk to him(during the draft’s final day) and we had some timeto get a feel for him. We told him that if he was stillthere we were going to pick him.”

— 49ers head coach Chip Kelly

Where he fits in: Jeff Driskel’s tools and athleti-cism are an intriguing fit for Kelly’s offense, and the49ers are likely to spend 2016 developing both to seehow well Driskel can fit into the system. Driskel’srookie summer probably will find him battling veteranThad Lewis, whom the 49ers signed to a one-yeardeal in March, for the No. 3 quarterback role behindColin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. Driskel is aprime prospect for the practice squad if he doesn’tmake the final roster in September.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND SIX Selected: 207th Height: 6-4Weight: 231Year: SeniorAge: 23From: Oviedo, Fla.Jeff Driskel • QB • Louisiana Tech

By Craig Massei


Quotable: “He’s all ball. Obviously, the pedigree,his father was an excellent running back in his ownright in the National Football League. He’s not his fa-ther, not trying to compare him to his father. He’sgoing to make his own way in this business. But he’sall ball, very enthusiastic. We got him on the phoneand the thing he said was, ‘You won’t regret this de-cision.’ He just wants to come in and compete.”


Where he fits in: Kelvin Taylor will get an op-portunity to put himself in the mix for the backup roleat running back behind established starter CarlosHyde with a chance to prove himself as a viablechange-of-pace option. He’ll be battling for both abackfield role and roster spot among a group thatincludes veteran holdovers Shaun Draughn and Du-Juan Harris and 2015 rookie draft pick Mike Davis.

THE SCOOP…

Selected: 211th Height: 5-10Weight: 205Year: JuniorAge: 22From: Belle Glade, Fla.

Kelvin Taylor always knows where the conversationis going whenever somebody starts talking about theUniversity of Florida product making a name for himselfin the NFL: He’s got some big cleats to fill.

That usually is the case when your dad ranks 16th onthe list of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers.

But Taylor doesn’t consider the success of his famousfather a burden as he embarks on his own pro career,even if it casts a formidable shadow. He embraces it.

“I used to always like watching my dad,” Taylor said.“Just watching him every day just working and tryingto be the best player he could be. I’d definitely have tosay I understand how important my father was. Justwatching him be a great pro in the NFL… and take lit-tle pieces of my dad’s game and put it into my game, andI feel like I can’t be stopped after that.”

The Taylors know a little something about not beingstopped with the football in their hands. Fred Taylor,who helped lead Florida to its first national champi-onship in 1996, was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville

Jaguars in 1998 and rushed for 11,695 yards during a13-year career with the Jaguars and New England Patri-ots that included six seasons of 1,200 yards or more.

Kelvin has been following right along in his father’sfootsteps every stage of the way. He was a prep phenomat Glades Day High School in Florida, starting for thevarsity as an eighth-grader and rushing for 12,121 yardsand 191 touchdowns over his prep career to shatter astate record previously held by Emmitt Smith.

Taylor followed his father’s path to Florida, where herushed for 508 yards as a freshman and 565 yards as asophomore before taking over as the team’s lead back asa junior last year. Taylor proved to be a durable work-horse, rushing for 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns on259 carries — the second-most carries in a single sea-son in school history. His TD total ranked third in schoolhistory for a single season.

“I feel like I’m a great back who can do it all,” Taylorsaid. “I feel like I’m an every-down back. I just can’t waitto get out there and make plays.”

ROUND SIXKelvin Taylor • RB • Florida

By Craig Massei

To hear some experts tell it, former Michigan Statequarterback Connor Cook owes much of his excellentsenior season to sixth-round pick Aaron Burbridge.

“Cook misses in the strike zone a lot and forces youto work, and this guy made Cook look better on a lot ofplays,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said momentsafter Burbridge was selected by the 49ers 213th overall.

Cook, who won a lot of games at Michigan State,went to the Raiders in the fourth round. But it wasBurbridge who was seen as more of the Spartans’leader than Cook. Burbridge won the team’s mostvaluable player honor after the season.

And even though he emerged from the sixth round,he impressed during the first OTA practice open to themedia. The 6-1, 208-pound Burbridge is neither a bigreceiver nor a particularly fast one (4.56 at the combine).However, his ability to haul in passes and make acro-batic catches became his hallmark his senior season.

He kept right on doing that in practice with the49ers. Burbridge made tough catches and shielded his

body from defenders while cradling the ball. To some,he looks a little like Anquan Boldin, who was a second-round selection out of Florida State in 2003. Burbridgeis not as big as Boldin, but he shares a similar attitude.

“He goes up, high points the ball, he gets up talk-ing trash. I feel like I can do the same thing,” Bur-bridge said of Boldin.

Because of his perceived lack of speed and smallerframe, scouts tagged him as a slot receiver. However, atMSU, Burbridge caught 21 passes of 20 yards or more.

“As a receiver I feel like I play inside and outside,talking to coaches, they see me as a slot receiver,” Bur-bridge said. “I can do anything I can to help be pro-ductive on this team.”

Even though Burbridge talks confidently about hisability, he’s far from the stereotype of a prima donnareceiver. During his career at Michigan State, he wasused as a gunner on punts, and was a stalwart on thefront line of the kickoff return team..

“I like special teams, it’s fun,” he said.

Quotable: “Catches well in stride and finishes asa ballcarrier. Tough in traffic and over the middle, se-curing first and bracing for contact second. Puts in thework to develop timing with his quarterback —praisedby his coaches for the extra work in his own time.Physical blocker. Highly productive senior season,leading the Big Ten in receiving and setting a newMichigan State single-season record for catches (85).

— Dane Brugler NFL Draftscout.

Where he fits in: With the wide receiver positionwide open, Burbridge will be dumped into the mixwith several other hopefuls. He could go anywherefrom starter to missing the cut. But don’t count onthe latter. Burbridge seemed to get things togetherafter injuries cleared up and he was excellent as thefeatured receiver in the Michigan State offense.

THE SCOOP…

ROUND SIX Selected: 213th Height: 6-1Weight: 208Year: SeniorAge: 22From: Farmington Hills,

Mich.Aaron Burbridge • WR • Michigan StateBy Kevin Lynch


Quotable: “He’s a talented young man that canreally run. He’s going to come in here just like therest of them and compete. He has blue traits in hisbody, physically: Run, jump, change direction, hecan do all those things.”

— General manager Trent Baalke

Where he fits in: It’s a crowded field at corner-back, so Iworah will have to fit in anywhere he can.His best chance might be on the practice squad;however, his undeniable speed and strength couldhave him challenge for a roster spot. If he developsquickly, Iworah could be used as a situational presscornerback. His upper body strength allows him tojam receivers, and his speed can make up the dif-ference if he misses at the line of scrimmage. Also,special teams could be in his immediate future.

THE SCOOP…

Selected: 249th Height: 5-11Weight: 193Year: SeniorAge: 23From: Nashville, Tenn.

General manager Trent Baalke calls them “bluetraits” — outlier measurables — and that’s the mainreason the 49ers took a flyer on Western Kentuckycornerback Prince Charles Iworah. Flyer is the rightterm. Iworah blazed to a 4.32-second 40-yard dash athis Pro Day.

When asked how Iworah came across Baalke’sradar, he said, “He runs a 4.3 40, that’s how he cameacross.” In other words he came across quickly. Iworahthen combines that speed with freakish strength. Hepumped out 25 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press.

Iworah is 5-11, 193 pounds, and his 25 reps are sixmore than 303-pound offensive lineman Fahn Cooperhoisted at the Combine.

“It’s something I did when I first started playingsports, doing push-ups at 14,” Iworah said.

Iworah also said that scouts have been impressedwith his work ethic and competitiveness. On film,Iworah doesn’t play like a sprinter trying to be a foot-ball player. He’s an aggressive tackler and plays as if he

has something to prove.The mad tinkerer, Chip Kelly, could also devise

some plays for Iworah and his comet speed.Iworah also brings with him a deep desire to learn

and better himself. He credits his Nigerian backgroundand the high expectations set for him by his father andhis tribe. And that’s why he’s unconcerned about thescheme he plays in.

“Hard work can do whatever,” he said in a meet-ing with local reporters after the draft. He establisheda reputation for work ethic as a Hill Topper.

“I am a film-orientated person,” he said. “I lovewatching film of my opponents. It’s like a chess match.I have to know the opponent inside and out, I have toknow him better than he knows himself.”

Iworah also proved he could play after walking onto Western Kentucky as a track star. He made 91 careertackles, five picks and 21 pass breakups. Though notthe most technically sound corner, his physical giftsare special.

ROUND SEVENPrince Charles Iworah • CB • Western Kentucky

By Kevin Lynch

The few rookie free agents that did sign in SanFrancisco were predominantly from the Pac-12. The49ers rookie free agent class was restricted because theteam chose 11 players in the draft and re-signed a lotof its own players.

The chances a rookie free agent will make the teamappears slim, again because of the large draft classand an abundance of young players returning from lastyear. Nevertheless, here’s a glance of the rookie 49ersthat went undrafted:

Devon Cajuste WR/TE, Stanford: Well-knownto the team because he played about 15 miles upthe road at Stanford. As a junior, Cajuste set a Car-dinal record by averaging 22.9 yards per catch. The49ers are converting the 234-pound Cajuste to tightend after he ran a truck-like 4.62-second 40-yarddash at the combine. He encounters a crowded fieldthere. Cajuste was also spotted leaving the practicefield at OTAs with an apparent leg injury. There wasno immediate word on the severity of the injury.Cajuste lacks elite speed and agility, but excels atjump balls and could develop into a red-zone op-tion with time. Hailing from New York City and ma-joring in science, tech and society, Cajuste is likelyto field plenty of non-football job offers, if the NFLdoesn’t work for him. However, 49ers head coachChip Kelly does like big-bodied receivers and Ca-juste, at 6-4, certainly is that.

Bryce Treggs, WR, California: Along withbeing a brilliant football mind, Kelly also knows hisBay Area politics. Because Cajuste, a Stanford manwas signed, the 49ers also decided to go with a Calguy in Treggs. At 5-11, 185 pounds, Treggs is thecomplete opposite of Cajuste. Used often in the slotat Cal, Treggs was often a quick, underneath oper-ator for quarterback Jared Goff. Treggs is the son ofBrian Treggs, who left Cal in 1991 as the school’sall-time leader in receptions (167) and receivingyards (2,335). The elder Treggs appeared in twogames with the Seahawks in 1992. The youngerTreggs was Cal’s second-fastest receiver after run-ning the 40-yard dash in 4.34 and 4.39 seconds. Hewas also ascending at the end of his college career,with three of his seven 100-yard games coming inhis final four contests. The Kelly offense will be fa-miliar after emerging from Sonny Dykes’ Bear Raidoffense, which often featured four receivers andmostly shotgun formations. Nevertheless, he willneed a little luck and some opportunity to breakthrough a crowded wide receiver field.

Alex Balducci, OG/DT, Oregon: Yet anotherplayer well-known to former Oregon coach Kelly.He recruited Balducci as a Duck and he mainlyplayed on the defensive line for him. The 49ers aretrying him at offensive guard, which was a shock toformer Oregon defensive linemen Arik Armstead


and DeForest Buckner, who got down in theirstances and noticed Balducci was across the line ofscrimmage from them. Balducci was rapidly improv-ing on the defensive line at Oregon, going from aspace eating man in the middle to finishing his sen-ior campaign with 40 tackles,and 3.5 sacks. His im-provement may have started in the 2016 NationalChampionship Game loss to Ohio State, where heplayed well. As a guard, Balducci’s quick feet will bea benefit, but he obviously has a lot to learn and will

have to show enough promise to earn a stay on thepractice squad.

Blake Muir, OL, Baylor: Just because JarrydHayne retired doesn’t mean the 49ers are withoutAustralians. Muir is now the lone Aussie on theteam, and unlike Hayne, Muir has a grounding inAustralian rules football instead of rugby. Enamoredwith the American game, he began his college careerin Hawaii and then transferred to Baylor where heplayed in 23 of 24 games, missing one game due toIllness. He finished his Baylor career as a two-timeAcademic All-American and earned a degree in ki-nesiology, health and leisure studies, so he might befully capable of treating his own injuries. At 6-6, 315pounds, he is well-suited to play tackle. He also wasa national title winner in swimming while DownUnder.

Norman Price, OT, Southern Mississippi: Onestrategy general manager Trent Baalke likes to em-ploy is to flood a trouble area with prospects, hencethe signing of Price, yet another body looking to bea backup tackle. After transferring from a Missis-sippi community college, Price made an impact withthe Golden Eagles. At 6-4, 320 pounds, he has thesize both Baalke and Kelly favor on their offensivelines.

Darren Lake, NT, Alabama: Lake was likelysigned because of the lower leg surgery Ian Williamsendured in the offseason. Lake excelled at re-direct-ing run-game traffic while stationed in the center ofthe Crimson Tide defensive line. He’s a long shot.

Demetrius Cherry DE, Arizona State: Cherrylogged some serious frequent flyer miles in his foot-ball quest. He started at Frostproof Middle High inFrostproof, Fla., then attended Oak Ridge MilitaryAcademy in North Carolina as a prep senior beforegoing 3,000 miles to attend Contra Costa commu-nity college in the Bay Area. He was going to attendWashington State, but then switched to ArizonaState. He’s in the same mold as Armstead and Buck-ner with his 6-6, 300-pound frame.

Jason Fanakia, OLB, Utah: Projected to go inthe fourth round by NFL draftscout, he spent hisfirst two seasons at Utah State then left for his Mor-mon mission in Indianapolis, but returned after ninemonths to help out his family after his father wasdiagnosed with cancer. His dad is now cancer free.Fanakia has a fierce bull rush, but will need to de-velop other moves and prove he can play from atwo-point stance in the NFL.

Lenny Jones, OLB, Nevada: The San Leandronative was a second-team All-Mountain West per-former with the Wolfpack. He turned down offersfrom San Jose State in order to go to Reno.

Jered Bell, S, Colorado: After losing two yearsto injury, Bell returned for a solid senior season andleft Colorado with seven career interceptions.

TIGHT FIT?The 49ers are trying former WR Devon Cajuste at tight end.

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTSBy Kevin Lynch


Tidbits, trivia and other draft morsels as we cover the49ers’ 11-player Class of 2016 from top to bottom while run-ning down every letter of the alphabet:

A is for Athleticism: As in the unique quality sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel has in common at the positionwith current 49ers quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick andBlaine Gabbert. Driskel had the fastest 40-yard dash timeof any quarterback at the NFL Combine this year, and he’sconsidered one of the draft’s best dual-threat prospects atthe position. In Driskel’s case, it also stands for Alex, asin Alex Smith, and Aaron, as in Aaron Rodgers — the twoNFL quarterbacks Driskel said he compares himself toand patterns his game after.

B is for Buckner: As in DeForest Buckner, of course,San Francisco’s prized No. 7 overall selection in Round 1.In Buckner’s case, it also stands for Big-Bodied Bruiser,which is what the 49ers envision Buckner becoming alongtheir defensive line for many years to come.

C is for Cornerbacks: As in three more cornerbacksselected by the 49ers in this year’s draft: third-rounderWill Redmond, fourth-rounder Rashard Robinson andseventh-rounder Prince Charles Iworah. The 49ers alsoselected three cornerbacks two years ago in the 2014draft, all of whom remain on the team — fourth-rounderDontae Johnson, fifth-rounder Keith Reaser and sixth-rounder Kenneth Acker.

D is for Ducks: As in University of Oregon Ducks,who for the second consecutive year produced San Fran-cisco’s first-round draft pick. DeForest Buckner was theNo. 7 overall pick this year while his former Oregon team-mate and fellow defensive lineman Arik Armstead was theNo. 17 overall pick in 2015. The 49ers have been gettinga little Ducky all over since former Oregon coach ChipKelly took over as the team’s new head coach.

E is for Eleven: As in Eleven draft picks, San Fran-cisco’s latest haul during the NFL’s three-day selectionprocess. It’s the fourth consecutive year the 49ers havecompleted a college lottery with a double-digit total ofdraft picks.

F is for Five-Star recruit and Four-year starter:Fifth-round pick John Theus was given the highest rating

Draftwrap

By Craig Massei

JEFF DRISKEL

Covering 49ers from A-Z

a prep prospect can attain coming out of high schoolbefore going on to start all four seasons he played atthe University of Georgia. In Theus’ case, it alsostands for Forty-Eight, as in the number of startsTheus made for the Bulldogs during his distinguishedcollege career, which he began by starting all Four-teen of Georgia’s games as a true Freshman.

G is for Georgia: As in the Southeastern Confer-ence school that produced fifth-rounder John Theus,the first Georgia prospect drafted by the 49ers sincethe team selected running back Keith Henderson dur-ing the third round in 1989.

H is for Hilltoppers: As in Western KentuckyHilltoppers, the unusual mascot at the school whereseventh-round pick Prince Charles Iworah started all27 games the past two seasons at cornerback.

I is for Iworah: As in seventh-rounder PrinceCharles Iworah, who was named after the Prince ofWales by his Nigerian parents. “My mom liked thatname,” Iworah said. “She always said that I have royalbloodlines in me.”

J is for Joshua: As in Joshua Garnett, the brightand burly offensive lineman the 49ers selected withthe second of their two first-round selections aftertrading away three draft picks to do so. And by theway, don’t call him Josh. “My mom wants me to goby Joshua, so I can’t disappoint her,” Garnett said.

K is for Kansas City Chiefs: For the second timein four years, the 49ers conducted a major trade withKansas City that brought premium draft picks to SanFrancisco. The Niners sent three picks to the Chiefsafter the first day of the draft started April 28 to moveup in the first round. In 2013, the Niners traded quar-terback Alex Smith to Kansas City in return for sec-ond-round picks in 2013 and 2014.

L is for Louisiana Tech: As in Louisiana TechUniversity, the school that produced sixth-round pickJeff Driskel — just the fifth prospect ever drafted bythe 49ers from the Conference USA school. One ofthose five was another quarterback — Tim Rattay, aseventh-rounder in 2000 who played six seasons withthe Niners and then served as Driskel’s quarterbackscoach last year at Louisiana Tech in Driskel’s lone sea-son with the Bulldogs.

M is for Major League Baseball: As in the 2013MLB draft, where Driskel was a 29th-round selectionof the Boston Red Sox while he still was a junior atthe University of Florida. In Driskel’s case, it alsostands for Maxwell Football Club National Player ofthe Year, an honor bestowed upon Driskel after hissenior year in high school.

N is for NCAA Investigation: As in the officialinquiry that forced third-round pick Will Redmondto sit out his first season on the Mississippi State cam-pus. Redmond got caught up in a recruiting mess thatgave him and his family impermissible benefits, theNCAA investigated the situation, and as a result Red-mond was not allowed to play as a freshman whilelosing that year of college eligibility.

O is for Offensive Linemen: As in three Offen-sive Linemen drafted by the 49ers among their firstseven picks. Second-rounder Joshua Garnett andfifth-rounders John Theus and Fahn Cooper add tal-ent, depth and potential to a San Francisco line thatcan use a boost in all three departments.

P is for Press: As in Bench Press, a weight-liftingfeat at which fifth-round pick Ronald Blair is some-


thing of a champion. Weighing just 270 pounds spreadover his 6-4 frame, Blair put up 32 repetitions on the225-pound bench press at this year’s NFL Combine,the second-best total among defensive linemen and thefourth-highest total of all prospects at the event.

Q is for Quarterback: As in sixth-round quarter-back Jeff Driskel, the only signal-caller the 49ers havedrafted in the past three years and just the third QBtaken by the team since San Francisco made AlexSmith the No. 1 overall selection of the draft in 2005.

R is for Rashard Robinson: As in the team’sfourth-round pick who continues a recent trend of49ers draft picks with matching initials, joining 2015selections Arik Armstead and Blake Bell, 2014 third-rounder Marcus Martin, 2013 second-rounder Cor-nelius “Tank” Carradine and 2011 third-rounder ChrisCulliver.

S is for Sons: As in Sons of former NFL players, ofwhich the 49ers have two in this year’s draft class.Sixth-rounder Kelvin Taylor is the son of former starrunning back Fred Taylor, and first-rounder JoshuaGarnett is the son of Scott Garnett, who played threeseasons in the NFL, including 1985 as a defensive line-man with the 49ers.

T is for Trader Trent: As in 49ers general managerTrent Baalke, who simply couldn’t make it through yetanother draft without pulling off a significant trade.Baalke added a second first-round pick for his draftboard by Trading Up, swapping San Francisco’s sec-ond-round pick (No. 37 overall), a fourth-round pick(No. 105) and a sixth-round pick (No. 178) to theKansas City Chiefs for the No. 28 overall pick, whichbecame Joshua Garnett, and the No. 249 pick in theseventh round, which became Prince Charles Iworah.

U is for Upside: As in the potential benefits andpositive aspects the 49ers see in taking a fourth-roundgamble on talented cornerback Rashard Robinson,who comes to the team with some heavy baggage offthe field. The 49ers’ opinion of Robinson’s upside isshared by NFL.com, which said, “If (Robinson) stayed

clean off the field, he’s likely a top 40 pick. There areplenty of question marks, but he’s an early candidatefor steal of the draft.”

V is for Versatility: As in the versatility the 49erssee in fifth-rounders John Theus and Fahn Cooper toplay multiple positions along their offensive line.Theus started at both tackle positions and also linedup at guard at Georgia, and Cooper played bothtackle positions at the University of Mississippi. “Theversatility at that point in the draft, that’s hard to find,guys that have multi-aligned and played as muchfootball as they’ve played,” general manager TrentBaalke said.

W is for Western Kentucky: When the 49ersused the 249th pick of the draft to select PrinceCharles Iworah, it was the first time since the teambegan drafting college prospects in 1946 that the Nin-ers had ever selected a player from Western KentuckyUniversity.

X is for X-receiver: Which is one of the three re-ceiver positions in San Francisco’s new offense, wheresixth-round pick Aaron Burbridge will attempt tomake an impact as he joins an uncertain mix that willbe looking to complement speedy split end TorreySmith in the team’s revamped passing game.

Y is for Youngest: As in Youngest player on theSan Francisco roster, a distinction that now belongsto fourth-round pick Rashard Robinson, who at 20years of age won’t celebrate his 21st birthday untillate July, which makes him not old enough to vote inthe June California primary elections while he’s par-ticipating in organized team activities with the 49ers.

Z is for Zone Blocking: As in Zone BlockingScheme, a staple of new coach Chip Kelly’s offensethat the 49ers obviously had in mind during this draftwhen they selected offensive linemen Joshua Garnett,John Theus and Fahn Cooper. “Their athleticism isreally kind of what we’re looking for, big guys thatcan move,” Kelly said. “That’s kind of what you’relooking for in terms of putting your team together.”

KELVIN TAYLOR

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS ROSTER


QUARTERBACKS6 Driskel, Jeff..............QB ...6-4....231 ....23 .....R.....Louisiana Tech2 Gabbert, Blaine .......QB ...6-4....235 ....26 .....6.....Missouri7 Kaepernick, Colin ....QB ...6-4....230 ....28 .....6.....Nevada9 Lewis, Thad .............QB ...6-2....219 ....28 .....4.....Duke

RUNNING BACKS49 Miller, Bruce.............FB....6-2....248 ....28 .....6.....Central Florida22 Davis, Mike..............RB ...5-9....217 ....23 .....2.....South Carolina24 Draughn, Shaun ......RB...5-11...205 ....28 .....4.....North Carolina32 Harris, DuJuan ........RB ...5-8....206 ....27 .....3.....Troy28 Hyde, Carlos............RB ...6-0....235 ....25 .....3.....Ohio State23 Taylor, Kelvin ...........RB ..5-10...205 ....22 .....R.....Florida

WIDE RECEIVERS17 Anderson, Dres .......WR...6-2....190 ....23 .....2.....Utah13 Burbridge, Aaron .....WR...6-1....208 ....22 .....R.....Michigan State86 Cajuste, Devon .......WR...6-4....227 ....23 .....R.....Stanford19 Campbell, DiAndre..WR...6-2....206 ....24 .....1.....Washington10 Ellington, Bruce.......WR...5-9....197 ....24 .....3.....South Carolina11 Patton, Quinton .......WR...6-0....204 ....25 .....4.....Louisiana Tech3 Rogers, Eric ............WR...6-3....210 ....25 .....4.....California Lutheran14 Simpson, Jerome....WR...6-2....190 ....30 .....7.....Coastal Carolina15 Smelter, DeAndre....WR...6-2....227 ....24 .....1.....Georgia Tech82 Smith, Torrey...........WR...6-0....205 ....27 .....6.....Maryland1 Treggs, Bryce..........WR...6-1....185 ....22 .....R.....California18 White, DeAndrew....WR...6-0....192 ....24 .....2.....Alabama

TIGHT ENDS83 Anderson, Busta ......TE....6-4....246 ....23 .....2.....South Carolina84 Bell, Blake................TE....6-6....252 ....24 .....2.....Oklahoma88 Celek, Garrett ..........TE....6-5....252 ....27 .....5.....Michigan State85 Hamm, Je'Ron .........TE....6-3....236 ....23 .....2.....Louisiana-Monroe89 McDonald, Vance.....TE....6-4....267 ....25 .....4.....Rice

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN66 Martin, Marcus..........C.....6-3....321 ....22 .....3.....Southern California68 Beadles, Zane ..........G.....6-4....305 ....29 .....7.....Utah65 Garnett, Joshua ........G.....6-5....321 ....22 .....R.....Stanford60 Thomas, Brandon .....G.....6-3....317 ....25 .....2.....Clemson61 Tiller, Andrew ............G.....6-4....324 ....27 .....4.....Syracuse67 Kilgore, Daniel ........G/C...6-3....308 ....28 .....6.....Appalachian State71 Pears, Erik ..............G/T ...6-8....316 ....33 ....10....Colorado State56 Balducci, Alex ..........OL....6-4....310 ....22 .....R.....Oregon77 Brown, Trent ............OL....6-8....355 ....23 .....2.....Florida64 Cooper, Fahn...........OL....6-5....306 ....23 .....R.....Mississippi75 Kelly, Colin...............OL....6-5....298 ....26 .....2.....Oregon State69 Muir, Blake...............OL....6-6....315 ....25 .....R.....Baylor63 Price, Norman..........OL....6-4 ....311 ....21 .....R.....S. Mississippi62 Silberman, Ian .........OL....6-5....306 ....23 .....2.....Boston College78 Theus, John.............OL....6-6....303 ....22 .....R.....Georgia74 Staley, Joe ................T.....6-5....315 ....31 ....10....Central Michigan

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN91 Armstead, Arik .........DL....6-7....292 ....21 .....2.....Oregon98 Blair, Ronald ............DL....6-4....270 ....23 .....R.....Appalachian State69 Cherry, Demetrius....DL....6-6....300 ....23 .....R.....Arizona State90 Dorsey, Glenn..........DL....6-1....297 ....30 .....9.....Louisiana State62 Lake, Darren............DL....6-3....315 ....23 .....R.....Alabama99 Buckner, DeForest...DT....6-7....300 ....22 .....R.....Oregon95 Carradine, Tank .......DT....6-4....295 ....26 .....4.....Florida State92 Dial, Quinton............DT....6-5....318 ....25 .....4.....Alabama63 Jerod-Eddie, Tony....DT....6-5....301 ....26 .....3.....Texas A&M68 Ramsey, Kaleb ........DT....6-3....285 ....26 .....2.....Boston College64 Purcell, Mike ............NT....6-3....303 ....25 .....3.....Wyoming78 Smith, Garrison........NT....6-1....300 ....24 .....1.....Georgia93 Williams, Ian ............NT....6-1....305 ....26 .....6.....Notre Dame

LINEBACKERS54 Armstrong, Ray-Ray LB....6-3....220 ....25 .....4.....Miami (FL)50 Bellore, Nick.............LB....6-1....250 ....27 .....6.....Central Michigan53 Bowman, NaVorro....LB....6-0....242 ....27 .....7.....Penn State55 Brooks, Ahmad ........LB....6-3....259 ....32 ....11 ....Virginia45 Fanaika, Jason ........LB....6-3....270 ....23 .....R.....Utah58 Harold, Eli ................LB....6-3....247 ....22 .....2.....Virginia51 Hodges, Gerald........LB....6-2....236 ....25 .....4.....Penn State46 Jones, Lenny ...........LB....6-3....270 ....24 .....R.....Nevada96 Lemonier, Corey ......LB....6-3....255 ....24 .....4.....Auburn59 Lynch, Aaron............LB....6-5....270 ....23 .....3.....South Florida48 McManis, Wynton ....LB....6-1....225 ....21 .....R.....Memphis44 Rush, Marcus...........LB....6-3....251 ....24 .....1.....Michigan State56 Skov, Shayne...........LB....6-3....247 ....25 .....2.....Stanford57 Wilhoite, Michael......LB....6-0....240 ....29 .....5.....Washburn

DEFENSIVE BACKS20 Acker, Kenneth ........CB ...6-0....195 ....24 .....3.....Southern Methodist26 Brock, Tramaine ......CB ..5-10...197 ....27 .....7.....Belhaven47 Cromartie, Marcus...CB ...6-0....195 ....25 .....3.....Wisconsin43 Davis, Chris .............CB ..5-10...201 ....25 .....3.....Auburn30 Iworah, Prince Charles ..CB...5-11...193 ....23 .....R.....Western Kentucky36 Johnson, Dontae .....CB ...6-2....200 ....24 .....3.....North Carolina State27 Reaser, Keith...........CB ...6-0....190 ....24 .....2.....Florida Atlantic23 Redmond, Will .........CB ...6-0....186 ....22 .....R.....Mississippi State33 Robinson, Rashard..CB ...6-1....177 ....20 .....R.....Louisiana State25 Ward, Jimmie...........DB...5-11...193 ....24 .....3.....Northern Illinois40 Bell, Jered.................S.....6-1....205 ....24 .....R.....Colorado41 Bethea, Antoine ........S....5-11...206 ....31 ....11 ....Howard31 McCray, L.J. ..............S.....6-0....210 ....24 .....3.....Catawba35 Reid, Eric ..................S.....6-1....213 ....24 .....4.....Louisiana State29 Tartt, Jaquiski............S.....6-1....221 ....24 .....2.....Samford

SPECIAL TEAMS4 Dawson, Phil.............K....5-11...200 ....41 ....17....Texas3 Lunsford, John ..........K.....6-0....180 ....22 .....R.....Liberty5 Pinion, Bradley..........P.....6-5....229 ....21 .....2.....Clemson86 Nelson, Kyle.............LS....6-2....240 ....29 .....5.....New Mexico State

NO. NAME POS HT WT AGE EXP SCHOOL NO. NAME POS HT WT AGE EXP SCHOOL

as of May 22

TNR’S UNOFFICIAL DEPTH CHART


Week 1Mon., Sept. 12vs. Rams7:20 p.m., ESPN

Week 2Sun., Sept. 18at Panthers10 a.m., FOX

Week 3Sun., Sept. 25at Seahawks1:05 p.m., FOX

Week 4Sun., Oct. 2vs. Cowboys1:25 p.m.

Week 5Thur., Oct. 6vs. Cardinals5:25 p.m., NFLN

Week 6Sun., Oct. 16at Bills10 a.m., FOX

Week 7Sun., Oct. 23vs. Buccaneers1:05 p.m., FOX

Week 9Sun., Nov. 6vs. Saints1:05 p.m., FOX

Week 10Sun., Nov. 13at Cardinals1:25 p.m., FOX

Week 11Sun., Nov. 20vs. Patriots1:25 p.m., CBS

Week 12Sun., Nov. 27at Dolphins10 a.m. FOX

Week 13Sun., Dec. 4at Bears10 a.m., FOX

Week 14Sun., Dec. 11vs. Jets1:05 p.m., CBS

Week 15Sun., Dec. 18at Falcons1:05 p.m.

Week 16Sat., Dec. 24at Rams1:25 p.m.

Week 17Sun., Jan. 1vs. Seahawks1:25 p.m., FOX

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 2016 SCHEDULE

WR11 Patton

10 Ellington6 Anderson3 Rogers

15 Smelter86 Cajuste

TE89 McDonald

88 Celek84 Bell

48 Anderson87 Hamm

LT74 Staley78 Theus75 Kelly

LG65 Garnett

62 Silberman68 Beadles

C67 Kilgore66 Martin

RG61 Tiller

60 Thomas69 Muir

FB49 Miller

QB2 Gabbert

7 Kaepernick9 Lewis

RB28 Hyde20 Davis32 Harris

RT77 Brown71 Pears

64 Cooper

K9 Dawson3 Lunsford

P5 Pinion

H5 Pinion

PR10 Ellington

18 White

KR10 Ellington

18 White

LS86 Nelson

WR82 Smith18 White

14 Simpson19 Campbell13 Burbridge

1 Treggs

OFFENSE

LCB26 Brock

36 Johnson43 Davis

33 Robinson30 Iworah LOLB

55 Brooks96 Lemonier95 Carradine

SS41 Bethea

29 Tartt

LDT90 Dorsey

91 Armstead63 Jerod-Eddie

NT93 Williams64 Purcell

68 Ramsey

RDT99 Buckner

92 Dial65 Smith

LILB51 Hodges57 Wilhoite50 Bellore

RILB53 Bowman

56 Skov51 Bishop

ROLB59 Lynch58 Harold

54 Armstrong

FS35 Reid25 Ward

31 McCray

RCB20 Acker27 Reaser

47 Cromartie23 Redmond

DEFENSE

SPECIAL TEAMS

THE FINAL WORD

After reaching the Super Bowl in 2013 for the firsttime in 18 years, the 49ers have had a veritable draftbonanza at their disposal to stock a championshiproster and remain among the NFL elite.

Eleven selections in the 2013NFL draft. Twelve selections in2014. Ten picks in 2015. Elevenmore picks in 2016.

More ammunition to reloadwith college talent than any otherteam in the league.

So why during that time spanhas San Francisco been slowlysinking to the bottom of theNFL?

It’s the current paradox of the 49ers after theyemerge from another draft with an uncertain mix oftalent, potential and question marks that by no meansis a slam dunk for a team that needed to rattle the rimand make a big splash in the 2016 college lottery.

And it’s an indictment of San Francisco generalmanager Trent Baalke, the man ultimately most re-sponsible for all those draft picks over the last fouryears that haven’t exactly stocked the cupboard orraised the bar for a team that after three consecutivetrips to the NFC Championship Game fell to 8-8 in2014 and a dismal 5-11 finish last season.

Baalke used to do much better after taking over asthe team’s personnel chief in 2010. But maybe it wasjust beginner’s luck.

Using astute and productive drafts, he helpedbuild the 49ers team that lost by three points to theBaltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. But there havebeen plenty of swings and misses by Baalke since, andhis reputation has taken a beating.

There have been enough draft whiffs lately thatBaalke sounded almost like a punch-drunk fighterwhen he stepped to the podium at Levi’s Stadium forthe first of several times over three days to discussthis year’s 49ers draft class.

The first words out of Baalke’s mouth regardingthese 11 draft picks were in response to a questionabout why San Francisco made Oregon defensivelineman DeForest Buckner the team’s first pick, theNo. 7 overall selection of the draft.

“Why not?” Baalke replied. “You know, I mean,what’s there not to like?”

Well, here’s one thing: It’s almost a replica ofBaalke’s first-round selection last year, when he tookOregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead with theNo. 17 overall pick. Both players have nearly identicalphysical dimensions, close to 6-7 and 300 pounds.

And while Armstead flashed potential as a rookieand may indeed become a future franchise corner-stone and live up to his lofty draft status, the fact ishe contributed lightly during his first pro season to ateam whose roster had been gouged during the off-season and needed its top pick to come in and make


an immediate impact.Instead, Armstead registered no starts and finished

with just 19 tackles and two sacks as a rookie for ateam that started — instead of its No. 1 draft pick —unheralded and undrafted veterans Mike Purcell andTony Jerod-Eddie at Armstead’s defensive tackle posi-tion in the season finale against St. Louis.

OK, so everybody suspected Armstead might be aproject. The problem is the 49ers have been taking ona lot of projects through the draft in recent years. Theproject isn’t quite working out with some of thosepicks. The project already is over with others.

And yet Baalke continues to gamble in the drafteven though several other chance bets have failed topay off. Desperately needing help at cornerback, hespent a third-rounder this spring on a prospect whotore the ACL in his right knee last October. He spent afourth-rounder on another cornerback prospect whodidn’t even play a snap last season due to problems offthe field and had his season the year prior cut shortdue to suspension.

“There’s risk in all of this, as we know,” Baalke said.The risk seems to be backfiring for the 49ers more

often than not, lately, and Baalke’s track record is look-ing more and more wobbly.

The 49ers no longer have any players on their ros-ter from his 2012 draft class. Defensive lineman TankCarradine was taken in the second round in 2013, sev-eral months after tearing knee ligaments in college. Hehas yet to make the impact of a quality second-rounder. Running back Marcus Lattimore was selectedin the fourth round in 2013 after sustaining a grue-some knee injury the season before. He never made itinto a game with the 49ers before retiring.

Third-round offensive lineman Brandon Thomas,fifth-round cornerback Keith Reaser and seventh-round fullback Trey Millard each were drafted in 2014after tearing knee ligaments the season before. Neitherof the three played a snap as rookies. Thomas didn’tplay a snap for the second consecutive season in 2015and Reaser played sparingly, finishing with seven tack-les in 13 games played. Millard was cut before the sea-son began.

And then there are the several picks over the pastfour drafts that have remained healthy but not quitelived up to their promise or produced as expected. Youwin some, you lose some. Except that the 49ers havebeen coming down too heavily on the wrong side ofthat equation, and the results have been showing upon the field over the past two seasons.

So this 11-player 2016 class, heavy on offensivelinemen and cornerbacks with only a sixth-round proj-ect to fill a potential need at quarterback, needs to bea hit. It needs to be a smash. It needs to pick up theslack for every draft since the 49ers last played in theSuper Bowl, drafts that have produced just five playerswho have settled in as regular starters.

For those looking for omens, history suggests

there’s some reason for optimism. The last time the49ers traded up into the first round to select two line-men — tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupatiin 2010 — it landed two premier starters that wouldimmediately help lay the foundation for a team thatsoon would play in three straight NFC title gamesand ultimately reach the Super Bowl.

The 49ers landed Buckner and then traded up forStanford guard Joshua Garnett in the first round thisyear, and one can only hope. To be sure, nobody willbe hoping more than Baalke, who has seen three headcoaches come and go over the past three years whilehis roster turnover via the draft has left plenty to bedesired.

“We feel good about this group from top to bot-tom,” Baalke said of his 2016 draft class. “But thereare no guarantees. There are no absolutes. So nowthat the draft is over, it’s up to those young men to goand compete, and hopefully a lot of them find a lotof success at this level.”

Hopefully being the operative word.

Craig Massei can be reached at [email protected]

BUCKING THE TREND?The 49ers hope DeForest Buckner can turn around their recent draft woes.

Draft class offers hope to emerge from drought

Craig Massei

1-800-932-4557www.ASMpublishing.comJune/July 2016 • Vol. 30, Iss. 5

the niner report

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